Various computer applications use databases that contain data representing human settlements that are distributed over certain portions of land. For example, various games use data representing human settlements to generate a portion of the environment in which the game is played. Other computer applications that use data representing the distribution of human settlements include simulators (e.g., flight simulators and/or combat simulators), which use the data to provide a realistic simulation environment.
Current databases generally do not realistically represent areas covered by human settlements. In the real world, human settlements can vary significantly from place to place. For examples, human settlements can take the form of sparsely populated areas, small towns, suburban sprawl, dense urban areas, and downtown high-rise districts, to name but a few. In contrast, many current human settlements databases generally characterize areas as simply urban or non-urban.
This binary classification can prevent urban areas having different types of human settlement from being realistically presented. For example, a medium size city can have a distinctly different general appearance than a downtown highrise district. Additionally, this binary classification provides an unrealistic transition between various areas having different degrees or levels of human settlement and/or between urban and non-urban areas. For example, downtown highrise districts are often surrounded by suburban sprawl, both of which have distinctly different general appearances. Furthermore, urban areas in different parts of the world tend to develop differently based on cultural and environmental factors. Again, this binary classification fails to represent these differences. Accordingly, current databases often do not provide the accuracy or the fidelity that is desired for various computer applications.